Astros select Stanford pitcher Mark Appel with No. 1 pick

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The Houston native, who lived here until he was 12, became the next key piece of the Astros’ organizational rebuild when the club Thursday made the Stanford senior righthander the No. 1 overall selection of the 2013 MLB amateur draft.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Appel went 10-4 with a 2.12 ERA for this season, striking out 130 and walking 23 in 106 innings.

Luhnow called Appel after the pick was made and gave him a message of “welcome home.”

“We’re absolutely thrilled … that we selected Mark Appel,” said Luhnow, who acknowledged the club saw the righty as the player all other prospects had to beat and none did during a year-plus evaluation process.

The pick has a maximum $7.79 million bonus-pool slot value. Appel’s represented by power agent Scott Boras, who told the Houston Chronicle last Saturday he didn’t plan to overvalue his client during negotiations.

“I don’t think that anybody in the draft that I know is seeking what I would call dollars that are not within the realm of what everyone anticipated the draft to be,” said Boras, one of the premier agents in sports, who represents MLB stars such as Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg and Michael Bourn. “The expectancies of certainly everyone involved are within the traditional dynamics of what’s expected in the process.”

Appel was at the top of the Astros’ draft board in 2012 but was eventually picked by Pittsburgh at No. 8 and went unsigned, returning to Stanford for his final season. Thursday, he referred to being chosen by his former hometown team as a “surreal moment.”

“A lot has changed (since last season), my mentality towards the game … excited to see what God has in store for me,” Appel said in an interview on MLB Network.

After deciding not to sign with the Pirates, Appel worked with Stanford pitching coach Rusty Filter to increase the angle and downward spin on his fastball by throwing from a higher slot. Appel’s secondary pitches — a plus slider and an MLB-quality changeup — also improved.

“This is somebody we’re seeing who consistently year after year has been getting better,” said Mike Elias, Astros amateur scouting director.

Luhnow said the Astros aren’t concerned about Appel’s innings count at Stanford, since his mechanics and physical shape are ideal. The righty was viewed by Roger Clemens and Enos Cabell, among other former Astros.

“We believe Mark stands a better chance of being a hit rather than a miss because of his delivery and his durability,” Luhnow said. “He has made every start for three years and he was in the bullpen his freshman year. … Not once did (our scouts) receive an email that he was going to skip a start or be pushed back a start; he made it every time. He pitched deep into games and his velocity was held throughout the game.”

The Astros’ next pick is No. 40 overall in the second round. It holds a $1.39 million slot value.

The initial two rounds of the draft are Thursday, with rounds 3-10 Friday and 11-40 Saturday.

The Astros joined the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays as the only teams to make back-to-back No. 1 picks. The Nationals chose Strasburg (2009) and Harper (2010) and came within one out last season of advancing to the National League Championship Series. The Rays missed on shortstop Tim Beckham (2008) but David Price (2007) won the AL Cy Young in 2012.

Appel follows Correa, a Puerto Rican high school shortstop selected No. 1 overall last season, in Astros draft history. The club has also chosen Phil Nevin (1992) and Floyd Bannister (1976) with the first pick.

Heading into Thursday’s draft, Oklahoma senior righthander Jonathan Gray, San Diego junior third baseman Kris Bryant and North Carolina junior third baseman Colin Moran were near the top of the Astros’ board with little separation. Many believed Gray had the best repertoire and live arm in the draft. His camp was willing to negotiate with the Astros if the Sooner was chosen first. Instead, Gray fell to Colorado at No. 3.

The Astros hold an MLB-high $11.69 million bonus pool, which can be spread out among picks selected in the initial 10 rounds.

“I’m very confident that Mark Appel is going to put on an Astros uniform,” Luhnow said.

Appel has the potential to be a long-term ace. He was the most polished pitcher in the draft and could reach the majors by 2014. Luhnow’s unsure where Appel will begin his pro career but joked it won’t be at hitter-friendly high A Lancaster. If the righty stays on schedule, he could join a future rotation that includes hard throwers such as Jarred Cosart (Class AAA Oklahoma City), Mike Foltynewicz (AA Corpus Christi), Asher Wojciechowski (Corpus) and Lance McCullers (low A Quad Cities).

“This is not a player that we’re going to rush to the major leagues,” Luhnow said.

Area scout Bryan Byrne guided the Astros’ decision to take Appel. The club said questions about the righty’s desire were never a concern and Byrne described Appel as a “bulldog.”

“The Stanford environment is super competitive in everything they do; there’s a good edge about him,” Byrne said, “He wants to win, he wants to be great. It’s been clear from day one since I saw him, there’s no question.”

Luhnow met with Appel and his family two years ago in Houston. The encounter made an immediate impression.

“Stanford’s an incredibly difficult institution to get into and to do what he did academically and athletically, this guy’s driven,” Luhnow said.

Appel picked up where he left off last year, after he turned down $3.8 million from the Pirates as the eighth overall pick. As a senior, he fine-tuned his stuff and graduated with a degree in management science and engineering. He shows everything scouts look for in a frontline pitcher. He’s 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds with a clean delivery, and he is a solid athlete who played basketball in high school. Appel’s fastball sits in the mid-90s and gets as high as 98 mph, and he holds his velocity deep into games. His slider is a plus pitch that generates swings and misses with its sharp, late break. Under Stanford pitching coach Rusty Filter–who was Stephen Strasburg’s pitching coach at San Diego State–Appel has gotten a little more downhill with his fastball and has improved his changeup as a senior, and it should be at least an average third offering. Appel has improved every year at Stanford and dominated as a senior, and he should move quickly through the minor leagues.